MORE THAN 95 TOWABLES - Good Sam Club

[Pages:37]MORE THAN 95 TOWABLES

HOW TO TOW LIKE A PRO ESSENTIAL ACCESSORIES FOR SAFE TRAVEL

11 POPULAR DINGHY BRAKING SYSTEMS

Tow & Go

If you enjoy the thrill of exploring the open road in your motorhome, you've probably found a few instances where bigger is not always better. That's where towing a dinghy behind your coach becomes advantageous. Want to know more? The 2015 Guide to Dinghy Towing provides a selection of informative articles and a listing of new vehicles ready-made to enhance motorhome ownership.

Granted, no manufacturer has yet to engineer a plug-and-play setup directly from the factory, but it's never been simpler to equip both dinghy and motorhome for road duty.

For starters, as highlighted in "Things to Know Before You Tow" (page 6), the hard hookup between motorhome and dinghy has become an easy one-person operation. Selfaligning tow bars make cinching up a breeze, and with some models, designed to have the cables and wires routed through the hollow arms, connections are simple and aesthetically pleasing. Plus, manufacturers are offering an array of accessories to help keep it that way: An RV underskirt, fitted beneath the towing equipment, will safeguard the dinghy vehicle and hardware from debris. For more ironclad protection, nearly indestructible rock guards are available that quickly attach to the tow bar and shield the dinghy from road debris.

Yet another device to aid in safe dinghy transport, supplemental braking systems have likewise evolved. Portable systems can be installed in just minutes, and permanent installations remain unobtrusive. Dinghy brakes are

mandatory in most states and Canadian provinces and any time you add a few tons of weight to the back of your motorhome you need a way to slow it down without overtaxing the brakes on the motorhome.

And make no mistake, contemporary coaches can accommodate a lot of dinghy weight. While many new chassis are rated to handle at least 4,000 pounds of dinghy weight, certain luxury coaches today carry gross combined weight ratings (GCWR) of 60,000 pounds or more -- with up to 25 percent of that available for towing.

The focus of the annual dinghy towing guide is the dinghies themselves. Manufacturers are becoming increasingly sensitive to the needs of the motorhome community and advances in technology are changing the vehicle-availability landscape. The "2015 Dinghy Roundup" (beginning on page 14) lists vehicles that have been manufacturer-approved for fourwheels-down towing. The list includes many of the newest vehicles -- from luxurious to economical. For all-terrain fun, there are plenty of 4WD vehicles to choose from. While some vehicles are easy to tow, others require that very specific procedures be followed before and during towing to prevent damage. We've included expanded information on the manufacturer guidelines required for flat towing, though you'll still need to check the owner's manual for more detailed procedures.

As motorhomes continue to grow in size and stature, life on the road has never been more comfortable. A dinghy adds to that enjoyment.

MotorHome 2015 GUIDE TO DINGHY TOWING | 3

Contents

6 Things To Know Before You Tow

Linking up with the proper equipment

14 2015 Dinghy Roundup

Annual guide to manufacturer-approved flat-towable cars, trucks and SUVs

26 Towing Accessories

Prepping a dinghy vehicle for safe travel

30 Dinghy Braking Systems

Popular devices to improve stopping power

Publisher Bob Livingston Editor-in-Chief Eileen Hubbard Technical Editor Chris Hemer Art Director Rick Damien Contributors Kristopher Bunker, Scott Hirko

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Things To Know Before You Tow

The Right Equipment Adds Safety, Simplicity and Convenience

Traveling with a dinghy vehicle is almost a given with today's larger motorhomes. Although the trend to bigger coaches has injected the lifestyle with more creature comforts than a luxury hotel room, it's not without its drawbacks. Even rigs with a 60-degree wheel cut will encounter some difficulty negotiating narrow roads in smaller towns during sightseeing tours -- and it's just not fun trying to park a 40-footer at local markets when picking up perishables.

A dinghy simplifies such tasks, and eliminates the need to break camp and stow everything each time you need (or want) to venture away from the campground. Addition-

ally, the dinghy can stow gear securely when motorhome storage is filled (within weight restrictions), and there is the security of having a spare set of wheels in the event of an emergency. It's not without consequences; towing a dinghy will affect the acceleration, fuel economy and braking of any coach, to some degree. However, proper selection of a dinghy vehicle and towing equipment will enable you to safely

A drop receiver might be needed to keep the tow bar level.

6 | MotorHome 2015 GUIDE TO DINGHY TOWING

safely be used as a dinghy, provided the appropriate towing accessory (such as a transmission lube pump) is used for that specific model as an aftermarket modification, or towing on a dolly or trailer is planned -- these vehicles have been certified for four-wheels-down towing without affecting their warranties. However, since manufacturers reserve the right to make engineering changes, buyers should always first confirm flat-towability by consulting the respective vehicle's owner's manual before the purchase is finalized.

When selecting a dinghy, first find out the maximum towing limit of your coach and then determine which vehicles fall within that limit. Towing limits aren't the only factor to consider, but they help to eliminate many choices based on weight alone. The weight rating of the coach's hitch receiver is another concern, although most are adequate, and receivers can often be upgraded. Keep in mind, however, that an upgraded hitch receiver cannot increase the specified weight limit set by the chassis manufacturer.

An economical four-passenger compact car can double as a family's second car when not traveling, but even a larger SUV or pickup truck can be towed, providing its weight is within the towing limit of the chassis.

A

and conveniently enjoy the benefits of auxiliary transportation.

Flat Towing

The first and most essential step in selecting

a dinghy vehicle is to make sure it is approved

by its manufacturer for flat towing (see "2015

Dinghy Roundup," page 14). While many non-

approved passenger cars or light trucks can

B

[A] Demco's Dominator aluminum tow bar has a rating up to 7,500 pounds. Easy trigger release and self-supporting arms provide convenient connection to baseplate.

[B] Roadmaster's aluminum Sterling All-Terrain tow

bar is rated to handle vehicles up to 6,000 pounds.

C

Nonbinding design facilitates hookup. Roadmaster's

BlackHawk 2 All-Terrain has a rating up to 10,000

pounds.

[C] Aventa LX from Blue Ox uses a ball-in-socket design that allows the arms to swivel 360 degrees for quick hookup. The tow bar is rated to tow vehicles up to 10,000 pounds.

MotorHome 2015 GUIDE TO DINGHY TOWING | 7

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU TOW

Above: Once the tow bar is pinned in the hitch receiver, make sure electric connections and safety cables are secure. Left: While driving your dinghy, this type of tow bar remains on the coach, out of harm's way.

Most flat-towed dinghies track so well that many motorhome drivers don't even know it's there. Front-wheel-drive (FWD) vehicles with manual transmissions and most compact 4WD vehicles with manual transfer cases are among the easiest and most economical to tow. Plus, they tend to rank among the lightest vehicles.

Some auto manufacturers also produce FWD vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions that are flat-towable. They are popular because they're easier to drive and the setup for towing is usually just as simple as a manual.

But some vehicles do require special procedures, such as starting the engine every 200 miles to circulate transmission fluid. Note that this cannot simply be circumvented by overfilling the transmission before towing, because the problem isn't caused by lack of sufficient fluid but rather by lack of oil circulation. Such practices, although inconvenient, are designed to prevent drivetrain damage and must be incorporated into the towing routine.

Another vehicle-specific consideration is that towing some dinghies with the ignition switch in a position that allows the steering column to

remain unlocked also leaves power applied to various electrical circuits. Over the course of a full day of towing, this can lead to significant battery drain. While strategies for dealing with this vary by model, most fixes involve temporarily unplugging one or more fuses from the vehicle's fuse box before towing. Another alternative is to connect the offending circuit through an owneradded switch or by installing Roadmaster's FuseMaster switch, allowing these circuits to be made tow-ready quickly and conveniently. A charge line from the motorhome can often be a viable alternative.

2015 Guide to Dinghy Towing Sponsors Produced by the editors of MotorHome for the publication's April issue, the 2015 Guide to Dinghy Towing was developed with assistance from the following companies:

Blue Ox Products 800-228-9289, Danko Manufacturing/RVibrake 800-815-2159, Demco 800-543-3626, Hopkins Manufacturing 800-835-0129, Roadmaster Inc. 800-669-9690, SMI Manufacturing 800-893-3763,

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